Comparison

Snippets vs SteelNote

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Snippets

Capture thoughts, ideas, and daily entries with a fast, local-first markdown editor. Notes are stored as plain files in a folder of your choice, offering full ownership and easy syncing via iCloud or other cloud services. Enjoy a distraction-free writing experience with instant search and no tracking.

Highlights
  • Local-first markdown editor
  • Plain .md file storage
  • iCloud and cloud sync
  • Chronological note sorting
  • Distraction-free writing
  • Instant search
Features
Read full description

Snippets Journal is a fast, local-first markdown note-taking app designed for capturing daily thoughts, ideas, and notes. YOUR NOTES, YOUR FILES • Notes are plain .md files stored in a folder you choose • No account required - just pick a folder and start writing • Full ownership - export, backup, or edit with any text editor ORGANIZED BY DATE • Notes automatically sorted chronologically • Quick daily journaling with one-tap new note • Easy to find what you wrote and when MARKDOWN SUPPORT • Write with familiar markdown formatting • Headers, bold, italic, lists, code blocks • Clean, distraction-free editor SYNC YOUR WAY • Use iCloud Drive to sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Works with Dropbox, Google Drive, or any cloud folder • No proprietary sync - your files, your choice FAST & PRIVATE • Instant search across all notes • Everything stored locally on your device • No tracking, no analytics, no ads Perfect for daily journaling, meeting notes, ideas, lists, and quick capture. Simple by design.

About

SteelNote

This app stores your notes as plain Markdown files on your device, ensuring you always own your data. It offers seamless syncing across Apple devices, instant search, and robust import options from other note-taking applications.

Highlights
  • Plain Markdown file storage
  • iCloud sync across Apple devices
  • Local full-text search
  • Import from multiple note apps
  • Link notes and see backlinks
  • Organize with folders and tags
  • Mark notes as private
Read full description

SteelNote is a notes app built on one promise: your notes are plain Markdown files that you own. Every note is a real .md file on your device, openable in the Files app or in any editor you like, today and years from now. No proprietary database. Nothing locked away. Your notes, truly yours. Because every note is plain text, you are never trapped. Read and edit them in SteelNote, in Files, or in any other Markdown app. If you ever move on, you take your files with you as they are, in an open format that lasts. Native on all your Apple devices. SteelNote is built natively for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Your notes sync across all of them through iCloud, with no third party account and no extra sign in. Start a note on your phone and finish it on your Mac. Find anything, instantly. A local full text index makes search immediate, even in large libraries. Link notes together, see backlinks, organize with folders and tags, and turn any line into a task. Private when you want it. Mark a note as private and it stays out of widgets and AI features. Your most sensitive notes remain yours alone. Bring everything with you. Import from Bear, Notion, Obsidian and Evernote, or from Markdown, TextBundle, Word, RTF, PDF and CSV files. Your folders and structure come along. Apple Notes works too, one note at a time, because Apple offers no bulk export. Everything you expect. Add images, PDFs and tables inline. Use checklists, footnotes and links. Reach your notes from Spotlight, Siri and widgets, and hand off between devices. An open format, now standard. Markdown is a first class type across Apple platforms, and SteelNote is built natively around it. Your files are open, portable and yours. Membership. SteelNote comes with a 14 day free trial, then a yearly plan or a one time lifetime purchase. You can cancel during the trial and pay nothing, or skip the subscription and choose the lifetime purchase instead. Sync is always included and never restricted. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. A yearly plan renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. You can manage or cancel anytime in your Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://steelnoteapp.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Snippets4 screens
SteelNote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Snippets at none against SteelNote's 3. Snippets also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 days) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. SteelNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. Snippets asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Snippets ships an update every 2 days, SteelNote every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Snippets versus SteelNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSnippetsSteelNote
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMing LiClaude Bezeaud

Customer experience

Snippets

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SteelNote

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Snippets

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

SteelNote

Subscriptions1
  • Annual14 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time2
  • Founder$44.99
  • Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Snippets free?
Snippets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SteelNote free?
SteelNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Snippets or SteelNote have ads?
Neither Snippets nor SteelNote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Snippets or SteelNote?
Snippets ships an update every 2 days, and SteelNote every 4 days. Most recently, Snippets was updated on October 10, 2026 and SteelNote on October 14, 2026.

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